Should I buy this Model A Precision?

I

IHateMayonnaise

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Howdy Folks,

I've been itching to get a lathe for about 5 years now, I've been a mill guy for a while and have been waiting on a good deal on a smaller lathe in decent condition to get my feet wet. This is a craigslist find for an estate sale that is happening this coming Friday (April 23rd) and until then they are taking offers on the unit, starting at $800. I suspect that this is going to be going for quite a bit more than that, however, and the question is how much is reasonable to go up to.

All I know about the lath is this: It's a "Model A Precision," and is very well maintained. The guy who owned it was an engineer, and from what I can tell from the rest of the items from the sale, he loved his equipment and spent lots of time making sure that they were up to snuff.

I'm not made of money, but I'm especially turned on by the fact that it seems as though I won't need to spend much (or any) time getting this thing to do what I want it to do. Does anyone have any guidance/reference points that they could lend me to help me make a decision on a max price? Literally any help would be deeply appreciated. Thanks folks!

Cheers,
IHateMayonnaise
 

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That looks like a decent machine, I see milling attachment and steadyrest on the shelf underneath. A lathe like that here in good shape would easily fetch $1500. No idea what the market is like in your area though.
 
I concur with David, that lathe is considerably more than most it's size, given the gearing. And all the rest, too. I don't think you would be hurt at $2000. If I were bidding and wanted a small lathe, I'd bid to win.

Edit: It appears to have a quick change tool post, but no tool holders showing, I'd get them chased down, too.
 
Yup, make sure to look through that Husky box for tooling!
 
IHateMayonnaise said:
Thanks folks!

Can you guys tell if this is a 9" or a 10"?
Click to expand...
Loiks like a 9A to me. Probably a 48" or longer bed. Note that the bed length is measured end to end.
 
If the guy that owned it was the original owner, it may be worth quite a bit, especially based on your description of condition. I would run over there to inspect it, if that is an option.
 
From the looks of the tail stock and everything else, it is 99% a 9" lathe. Better pictures will help confirm. Better pictures will also help determine the shape (and value) of it. If it is in good shape, then $1800 to 2000 is a good price. Depending on the extras, maybe even more.
 
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